When it comes to driving through severe weather, you don’t want to be stuck on the road with no way of getting home or to your destination. In order to save yourself from crashing into a ditch or, worse, another car, here are 10 safety driving tips you should practice.
1. Only Go Out When Necessary
If you’re not interested in having to shell out money for auto parts heber city utah, then you shouldn’t be driving if you don’t need to go out. Even if you trust your driving skills, there’s no reason to take unnecessary risks.
2. Drive Slowly
The slower you go, the more traction your tires have with the road. Especially in wet conditions, you want as much traction as possible so that when you do need to stop, you’re not skidding along the asphalt, out of control.
3. Don’t Stop If You Can Avoid It
If you can avoid coming to a sudden stop, then do so. There will be a lot of inertia when you’re driving that coming to a full stop can result in you skidding out of control. If you can slow down enough in order to keep your car rolling toward a red light, then do it.
4. Accelerate And Decelerate Slowly
Never slam on the gas or the brakes; you should be applying the gas slowly so that the tires have time to gain traction with the road and avoid skids. Apply the brake in the same method, since it takes a lot longer for a car to slow down on icy roads.
5. Be Aware Of Your Brakes
Whether your vehicle has antilock brakes or not, it’s a good idea to apply pressure to your brake pedal using the ball of your foot and not your entire foot. Keep your heel planted on the ground so that you can apply even pressure.
6. Gain Some Inertia Before Tackling A Hill
It can be difficult to get up a hill covered in ice. You can gain some inertia on the flat roadway so that you can take on the hill you need to get over. Just be sure not to gas it too much.
7. Increase Your Following Distance
On a normal day, you should be about 3 to 4 seconds behind the person in front of you so that there’s sufficient space to break without risking rear-ending them. However, in winter conditions, it’s best to increase your following distance to about 6 to 7 seconds to increase the margin of safety.
8. Have Your Car Inspected
Before you take on the winter road, it’s important that you have your vehicle checked at a proper motor maintenance facility to ensure that your car is in working order.
9. Put The Mobile Device Away
Nothing is more dangerous than trying to operate your smartphone while you’re driving on an icy road. Put it down so that you can focus on the road as much as possible.
10. Stay Connected To Other People
Before hitting the road, let people know where you’re going, what route you’re taking, and when you’re expected to arrive there. If something happens, then someone will know that they should start looking for you.
Driving safely in the winter time is important, so exercise care and caution to keep yourself safe as well as those around you this winter season.
